The Bond We Share
by fallenshadows95
Summary: Elena has cut romantic ties with Damon, driving him to abstain from consuming blood. But just how strongly willed is Damon when his favorite red-head comes to visit him in the middle of the night? What happens when bloodlust turns into something so much more than Damon bargained for? Maybe he should've thought of the consequences before he acted. (Six part short story)
1. Part 1

**Ok guys...this is the story that I have been excited to share. It will be put up in parts, I'm not sure how many yet. I'm still in the process of finishing up this story, but I'm close to being done. I wasn't going to post this until I had finished completely, but I'm going away to visit family tomorrow and I don't know if I'll be able to take my laptop with me or not. So I couldn't stand to leave without posting **_**something! **_**Haha! But anyhow, I hope you like this first part and, if I don't have the next part up in a few days, it will definitely be up by the weekend! Please forgive/ignore any errors because I didn't have as much time as I would have liked to go over my writing. Kind of doing this in a hurry. Lol! Have fun reading and please feel free to review! I love hearing you guys' thoughts!**

Stefan sighed as he came walking back into his and Elena's room. It was dim, a single lamp in the corner illuminating his beautiful girlfriend's long golden hair. Elena's lapis eyes sank as they landed on the completely full blood bag in her boyfriend's hand. Stefan's frustrated green eyes said it all as they bore into hers.

"He's still not drinking?" Elena's worried voice asked.

Stefan shook his head, disappointed in his brother's behavior, "He threw a glass at me."

Tears sprang in Elena's eyes; it was all her fault. Ever since she had professed her love for Stefan, Damon had gone into depression and now he wouldn't drink hardly any blood. He only drank enough to sustain himself about every two weeks. In truth, his miniscule consumption of blood wasn't enough to keep him going…he was weak. He never moved as he used to, with a vampire's speed and powerful strides. He acted as a frail, fragile human slouching and struggling to shuffle their feet across the floor. The glimmer of light that sparked in his eyes from time to time had dimmed completely. His midnight eyes were truly just dark pits. The usual smirk that he wore on his perfect lips had vanished, replaced by a straight, emotionless line.

She had made him the way he was now, but she couldn't deny her love for Stefan. She only wished she could help him.

"I'll try again in the morning. Let's get some sleep, ok?" Stefan's exhausted voice spoke low in her ear as he leaned down to kiss her cheek.

Elena nodded and slipped under the covers of Stefan's king size bed. A toned arm wrapped around her, pulling her tight into his chest and Elena was able to rest in the serenity only Stefan could provide her. Small smiles painted their lips as they both fell asleep in the contentment of each other's embrace.

Bonnie stood in the dark hallway of the boarding house, her fist raised hesitantly in front of her. She wasn't sure if she should even be standing in front of his door let alone knock on it. But she was so worried about him! She had been ever since Elena had chosen Stefan. She wished desperately that Damon would go back to being his usual snarky self. A frown appeared on her plump lips as she found herself actually missing the way Damon used to be…bad qualities and all.

Sucking in a deep breath, Bonnie found the courage to knock softly on the door.

"I don't want the damn blood bag, Stefan!" Damon's voice shouted from the other side of the wooden door.

Flinching at Damon's harsh words, Bonnie grasped the door knob and slowly twisted it, peeking her head through the opening as she pushed the door forwards.

"It's me", her girly voice spoke softly.

It was silent for a moment before Damon spoke again and Bonnie had begun to shut the door back, figuring her visit had only angered him further.

"What do you want?" Damon's raspy voice asked, halting Bonnie's movements.

The little red head stuck her head back through the door, opening it a little wider this time around. Hope flooded her; she prayed this was a good sign from him.

"I just wanted to check on you…make sure you're ok…"

Bonnie saw Damon's dark silhouette shift to sit up in bed and she slipped inside his room, shutting the door behind her.

"I'm fine. Same as always." Damon grumbled.

Bonnie sighed, "That means you're not fine."

Damon huffed, "If you're here just to try and force me into something I don't want to do…you can leave."

"In fact…I'd prefer it if you'd leave. I want to sleep." He added after another second.

Bonnie hung her head down, suddenly feeling stupid for coming to talk to Damon. But she wanted to help him, and she was gonna try.

She started forwards, "Damon, I- Ahh!"

Bonnie yelped as she tripped over something lying in the floor. Falling forwards, she flung her hands out in front of her and broke her fall. Immediately, she regretted it as a sharp fragment of glass sliced its way through the skin on her palm.

Rolling over and sitting on her bottom, Bonnie clenched her fingers around her wounded hand now stinging profusely.

"Ow! Ow!"

Damon came rushing to her side. It was the fastest he had moved in months! Gently, but forcefully, he took her bleeding hand in his and examined it. Even though the room was dark, Damon could easily see the large glass piece piercing her skin.

Wrapping his free hand around her upper arm, he lifted her up and lead her into his bathroom. Flipping a switch on the wall, Bonnie blinked at the blinding light the flashed on. Damon lead her to the sink and then bent down to fish through the cabinet under it for a first aid kit. Bonnie took the opportunity to look at her hand. It wasn't quite as bad as she had originally thought. The glass piece had not gone deep enough to where she would need stitches; the slice in her hand was pretty long, though. However, a heavy duty band-aid would do.

Blood began to run down her arm and a mild nausea made an appearance in her stomach.

Damon stood back up with the first aid kit in his hands and set it down next to her on the granite counter top she was leaning against. He took out a large padded band-aid and some peroxide. Turning back around, he froze as he saw the blood trailing down Bonnie's creamy skin. The peroxide fell to the floor, pouring all over the tile flooring. The redhead looked up at him in confusion.

The deep circles under Damon's eyes were covered by black veins. Bonnie's brown eyes no longer held confusion as she understood exactly what was wrong. Her eyes met his red ones.

"D-Damon?" she asked nervously.

He tried, he really had, but his fangs descended. He couldn't stop it! His body was craving more blood and now it was fresh and beckoning to him as it ran down Bonnie's arm.

The blood lust was getting to him, clouding his judgment, controlling him.

Damon grabbed Bonnie's hand and gently pulled the glass shard from it. She winced, but any thought of the wound vanished as she felt Damon's tongue at her elbow. He licked all the way up her arm, following the path the drop of blood had made.

Bonnie tensed as his mouth reached her hand; she knew he would bite her. Squeezing her eyes shut, she waited for his fangs to sink in. She felt his tongue swipe over the wound and a few seconds later, when she didn't feel his fangs, she peeked her eyes open. She was surprised to see Damon staring at her, licking his lips. The slice on her palm healed and she smiled. Damon had healed her.

Her smile was short lived as she looked back up to his blood-lusting eyes. She knew he was hungry and wanted more. She had come here to help him after all. If she could get him to feed and make him strong again then she would do it. They had been trying for months now to get Damon to drink more blood! Bonnie wasn't particularly fond of the circumstances under which she would get him to drink, but at least he would get some more blood in his system.

Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm herself as she stepped closer to him, moving her strawberry curls to the side as she did so. Damon's red eyes instantly zoned in on the faintly visible vein on the side of her neck.

"I-It's ok. You need it, Damon. Just do it." Bonnie encouraged softly, unsure of her words.

She had never been bitten before nor offered to be a blood bag. She had been too scared. She was _still_ scared as she stood here now in front of a very hungry Damon, vulnerable with her neck exposed to him.

Slowly, Damon came closer until his lips were brushing Bonnie's neck. Tears flooded her eyes and she sniffed, trying not to cry. Her heart raced, but that only served in making Damon hungrier as her blood rushed through her veins beneath his thirsty mouth.

Bonnie didn't have time to so much as flinch at the touch of his razor like fangs before they had plunged deep into the side of her neck. She cried out in pain, but Damon held her close. His left hand cupped the side of her face, supporting her head as he drank gulps of her sweet blood. His thumb on her cheek drew lazy circles across her skin and Bonnie's tense posture relaxed. She melted into him, giving in to his drinking. The more she gave in, the more content she felt. It was odd, she thought as she began to feel a bit dizzy, she figured this would've been more painful, but it was oddly comforting. She felt closer to him than she ever had before. Her hands, fisted in his shirt, tightened as she began to feel weak.

"Damon…" she breathed, hoping he'd stop.

Almost reluctantly, Damon pulled his fangs from her neck and lifted her into his arms. Bonnie's head bobbed and fell onto his shoulder, her eyes slipping closed as fatigue coated her body.

She felt herself being placed in Damon's lap as he sat them down on the edge of his bed. Barely finding enough strength to open her eyes, she saw Damon slice his wrist open with the glass shard that had been in her hand only moments ago. When had he picked it up?

Suddenly, Damon's bleeding wrist was at her lips. Bonnie felt the warm liquid seeping out of the cut and into her mouth. Her face scrunched up, entirely grossed out at the thought of drinking blood, but she didn't have the strength to push him away.

His blood touched her tongue and she wanted to gag. But as the red liquid filled her mouth, she found herself swallowing instead. After the second gulp, much to her surprise, Damon's blood tasted…_good!_

Finding the strength to move once again, Bonnie craved more as she wrapped both sets of fingers around his arm, holding his wrist to her mouth as she drank feverishly. It tasted better by the second and she couldn't hold back the small moan that hummed in her throat.

She felt Damon's chest rise and fall against her back as he breathed rapidly in and out. His hard breaths found her neck as his face dipped down to his previous bite wound. Bonnie shivered against him as she scooted herself closer into his chest.

Damon couldn't hold back any longer, he wanted to taste her again. Her blood called to him in the most torturous of ways. Watching her drink from him was no aid to his torment, only succeeding in heightening his bloodlust. Letting Bonnie continue to suck at the cut on his wrist, he gave in to his desire and sank his fangs back into the side of her neck.

Not expecting it, Bonnie winced; but it wasn't as bad this time. It had hardly hurt at all. A weird euphoric feeling began to flood her body and she completely relaxed back into Damon. Everything felt heightened. His skin felt not just soft but like satin where it touched hers. All the tingles any contact from him gave her had turned into fire that blazed hot throughout her body. That fire spread to Damon like wild as he wrapped his free arm even tighter around her waist. They both felt more connected to one another than they ever had before, it was as if they were one, something deep inside them fusing together. The smallest idea of separation was too painful for either of them to even fathom.

Bonnie slowly pulled her mouth from Damon's wrist, licking the blood off her lips. The cut healed faster than a second could tick by. Taking notice, Damon pulled away from her throat feeling sated and full. His body hummed with a pleasurable serenity. Looking down at his bite wound under heavy lids, Damon dipped his back down to her throat once more and dragged his tongue over the bleeding marks. Slowly, the open wounds began to close. He smiled at his impeccable work as the wounds turned pink, almost completely healed.

Damon kissed Bonnie lightly on the cheek as he pulled his head from her neck. Drowsy, he fell back onto his bed, taking the dazed red-head in his lap with him.

"I'm tired." Damon's groggy voice rang low.

Bonnie rolled over so that she was facing him and snuggled into his chest, "Me too." She replied, letting her eyes close.

Pulling his right hand up, Damon ran his fingers lazily through Bonnie's red curls. They were incredibly soft as they coiled around his fingers.

"Have you ever drank a vampire's blood before?" he questioned, his own eyes falling closed.

Bonnie shook her head, her cheek rubbing against the thin material of Damon's shirt, "No…not until tonight."

"Have you ever considered becoming a vampire?"

Bonnie's sleepy state cleared as she shot her eyes open, nervous and alert, "I…I have thought about it before. But I…I don't think it's something I want."

Damon had to suppress the frown that threaten to form on his lips, "Then don't die in the next few days. You'll have a rude awakening if you do."

Bonnie gasped softly. She knew how humans were turned into vampires, but the thought of endangering her human life by dying with vampire blood in her system hadn't once crossed her mind while she was drinking from Damon. Now that thought was the only one present, and it was scary.

Damon chuckled as he felt her heartbeat pick up, "Don't worry, little redbird. I highly doubt that will happen…as long as you keep yourself out of trouble anyway."

Before Bonnie could ponder over the subject any further, Damon was interrupting her thoughts.

"I'm going to sleep. I'm tired" he said as he sat up and shoved Bonnie off his lap.

The small red-head awkwardly played with her fingers as she looked down at the hardwood floor beneath her. She very much wanted to stay with Damon, but she couldn't bring herself to ask him. Instead, she forced herself from his room after a quick exchange of "goodnight."

Bonnie awoke the next morning clutching her chest. A blaring ache was pounding at her heart. She gasped and shot up, tears were already rolling down her cheeks. Was she having a heart attack?!

Flinging her pink quilt back and standing from her bed, Bonnie raced down to the kitchen where she could smell toast being heated in the toaster. She only cried harder as the pain got worse. She was going to die any minute.

_Oh, please! Oh, please! I don't want to be a vampire! I will never drink a vampire's blood again, I swear! Please!_ she chanted in her head as she neared the kitchen.

Practically running, Bonnie flung herself into the kitchen and onto the nearest chair of the antique dining table. Stefan, Elena, and Meredith, who had been happily making their breakfast, rushed over to Bonnie with panic stricken faces.

"Bonnie! What's wrong?" Meredith asked.

"Are you hurt?!" Elena questioned, automatically scanning her body for injuries.

Seeing her hand digging into her chest, Stefan kneeled down in front of the sobbing girl and calmly asked, "Is it your heart?"

Bonnie nodded.

"It hurts! Make it stop!" Bonnie cried out.

"I'll go call an ambulance!" Meredith announced, running upstairs to get her cell phone.

"Describe it to me. What's going on?" Stefan asked, his voice still calm and authoritative.

"It's just aching…_really bad!"_ she exclaimed through another sob.

"I don't wanna die! Not now!" she added.

Stefan opened his mouth to spout words of comfort, but she was speaking more barely coherent sentences through her tears once again.

"I want Damon! I just want Damon!"

Stefan and Elena looked at one another through pained eyes. It was sad neither of them were sure he'd care.

"I'll stay with her. Go get Damon. Hurry!" Elena shooed him. If Bonnie was dying, she was going to spend her last moments with whomever she wished. Elena would be sure of it.

"I want Damon, Elena…" Bonnie pleaded so softly as she looked at her friend through red, watery eyes.

Tears sprung in Elena's eyes as she looked at her friend's scared, sorrowful face, red and tear-stained.

"Stefan went to get him. He'll be down any second, ok?" Elena comforted her.

Bonnie nodded.

"Ok" she whispered.

Elena could tell the pain was taking a lot out of her.

Meredith came running back into the kitchen, phone equipped in her hand.

"The ambulance is on its way!"

Elena looked back at her and nodded.

"Damon!" Stefan shouted as he burst into his brother's room.

Damon woke with a start and sat up, running a hand over his face.

"What the hell, Stefan?!" he exclaimed, his voice thick with sleep.

As he rubbed at his eyes and tried to clear his head, he noticed a heavy ache in his heart. It hurt like hell! But he was a vampire, he couldn't die again…not from a human illness anyway. What did he have to worry about?! Maybe it would go away if he just ignored it…

"Bonnie's having some sort of cardiac problem. Meredith called an ambulance. Elena's with her right now. She keeps asking for you."

Damon could barely focus on his brother's words as the pain in his chest only seemed to increase. He refused to show weakness in front of his little brother! He would never hear the end of it from Saint Stefan! But he had heard enough to know that Bonnie needed him and that was enough to get him out of bed and onto his feet. Without another word, he hurried out of his room and down to where he heard Bonnie crying in the kitchen. Stefan followed.

As he got closer to her, the horrible ache in his chest began to fade. He noticed he didn't hear Bonnie crying anymore either…only little sniffles. Upon entering the kitchen, he saw his little redbird seated at the end of the dining table, her face puffy and red from crying so hard. Elena was kneeling next to her looking calmer than she had a minute ago, he suspected. Meredith mirrored the blonde beauty's image.

The pain was just a memory now.

"So it's just completely gone now?!" Meredith asked, shocked.

Bonnie was about to answer when she caught sight of Damon. Forgetting completely about her two confused friends at her side, she shot up from the chair and ran to Damon. If it weren't for his vampire strength, Damon was sure he would've stumbled backwards a few steps as she threw herself into his arms. Circling her arms around his waist, she buried her face in his chest.

Damon held his arms out on either side of him, not expecting Bonnie's tight hug. However, no matter how badly he wanted to push her off him, he couldn't stop his arms from curling around her small frame. He wished so hard that he could, but he simply couldn't deny how good it felt to have her close. He even found himself wanting her closer. Some sort of warmth spread through him as his senses fully took in how wonderful her body felt against his. It took all his strength to push her back.

Looking into her watery brown orbs, her plump bottom lip trembled. He wanted to fix it, to wash away all the fear making her little body quake. A sudden urge to take her shaking lower lip in his mouth consumed him. It had been so long since he had kissed her last. Too long.

What was he thinking?! He didn't kiss humans! He had no interest! The only time he kissed human girls was when he wanted something from them…blood. He had already gotten plenty of that from her last night. _Without_ kissing!

Pushing his internal battle aside, "Are you alright?" he asked.

"Now I am. I don't know what happened. I was hurting so bad and then it just…stopped." She explained, unable to figure out what was wrong. She hoped it never happened again!

Stefan, Elena, and Meredith all stared at Bonnie, confused.

"Are you sure you're ok, Bonnie?" Stefan questioned.

Drying her tears with the back of her hand, she looked around Damon at Stefan, "Yeah, fine!" she smiled.

"Better than fine, actually." She added low enough so only Damon could hear.

Damon unwrapped himself from her, the things her words stirred inside him frightened him. He must still be tired…that was it. His mind was all fuzzy from sleep, or lack thereof.

Bonnie frowned at the loss of contact.

"Well…looks like you got me up for nothing, little brother. I'm going back to bed!" Damon said, feigning annoyance as he walked out of the kitchen.

Damon rubbed at his chest as the aching started back, it was only faint this time, but it felt like it was getting stronger.

"It's happening again!" Bonnie yelled, panicked as she placed her hand over her chest.

The group began to crowd around her for the second time.

"It's not as bad as last time." She continued, trying to keep calm.

"Good thing I called an ambulance!" Meredith said as she went to grab a chair from the dining table for Bonnie to sit down in.

Damon walked back over, sighing as he did so. He noticed the aching was fading again. Was it somehow connected?

"It stopped again" said, Bonnie.

"This is so strange. I wonder why it keeps going on and off…" Meredith commented, perplexed at her best friend's situation.

"I am never drinking vampire blood again!" Bonnie exclaimed without thinking. She hadn't meant to make that comment out loud.

Everyone went silent, staring at her as she flushed bright red.

"Whose blood did you drink, Bonnie?" Stefan asked nicely but sternly.

Bonnie blushed a red she didn't think was possible to achieve.

Stefan already had a hunch that was now confirmed by the way Bonnie was blushing the color of a lobster. Menacingly slow, he turned to face his brother.

"Why did she need your blood, Damon?"

"I don't have to answer to you, brother." Damon retorted, becoming angry.

Stefan was getting madder by the minute. He took a few steps closer to Damon, who had his eyes narrowed in a glare.

"Why did you feed her your blood?" Stefan asked forcefully, demanding an answer.

Bonnie knew what would happen if she let it go on. Damon would be stubborn and wouldn't give in and then they'd both end up in a fight that neither Elena, Meredith, nor she would be able to stop.

"I _let_ Damon drink from me!" Bonnie confessed, casting her eyes down to the floor, too afraid to see Damon's light up in fury at her.

"After I offered you damn _blood bags?!"_ Stefan shouted at Damon, seeing red.

Damon rolled his eyes at his brother's overreaction. Stefan was speaking again before he had the chance to.

Taking a few steps closer to Damon, Stefan's eyes narrowed quizzically at him, "Did you let her drink from you at the same time you were drinking from her?"

Running a hand through his dark locks, Damon let out a guilty sigh as he turned his midnight eyes to his bare feet.

That was enough confirmation for Stefan. Elena gasped, already knowing what the act could trigger.

"Have you forgotten what can happen…_brother?"_ Stefan questioned slowly.

Damon snorted at what he knew Stefan was implying, "Come on, Stefan! How many times has that _actually_ happened?! Two?!"

Bonnie looked between the two bickering brothers, her doe eyes wide and curious.

"What are they talking about?" she asked, looking to Elena.

Elena cast her eyes down to the floor; a flash of some emotion Bonnie recognized on the blonde went through her eyes before she blinked it away. Bonnie looked to Meredith only to see she was just as confused by the situation.

"Between a vampire and a human…one." Stefan corrected Damon.

"I know it's rare, but that doesn't mean it's impossible. You have to consider-"

"I don't have to consider anything, Stefan! We are _not_ bonded! End of story!" Damon interrupted, angry.

Bonnie gasped the same time as Meredith.

"Bonded?" Bonnie muttered only loud enough for herself to hear.

Stefan sighed at his brother's stubbornness, "Damon…"

The dark vampire cut him off again, "No! I don't feel anything! I wasn't hurting! The bond affects _both_ people…not one."

Stefan thought for a moment, "Is it possible that maybe she bonded to you but you didn't bond to her?"

Damon sighed, tired of talking about the touchy topic of bonds, "I don't know. Do I look like the expert on vampiric bonds?"

Finally tired of all the secrecy, Bonnie stood from her chair, "What's a vampiric bond?"

Damon and Stefan stared at Bonnie, both reluctant to explain, neither sure how she'd take it.

Stefan looked to his brother only to see him shake his head and turn away. Stefan sighed, knowing it was up to him to tell Bonnie.

"It's a bond that happens, usually between two vampires, when you feed off one another simultaneously" Stefan paused before continuing, "They call it a bond because, well…it kind of binds you together. Romantically."

Bonnie gasped. Meredith's mouth fell open in shock as she looked up at the surprised red head, gauging her reaction. Elena watched Bonnie as well, concerned over how she would take the news. Damon, however, acted as if he could care less with his back turned to the group, running his hands through his dark tresses in frustration.

Bonnie swallowed hard once, trying to get a hold of her mind before she lost it to all this overwhelming information.

"But…how did me hurting relate to the bond; I-I don't understand…"

"When the bond is first created between the couple, being too far away from one another triggers a pain in your chest, it is literally your heart aching from the separation." Stefan clarified.

Bonnie's steady breath shook, her eye lashes batted as she blinked rapidly; she was in a situation she never dreamed she would be in. It was just about too much for her brain to process. It was confusing and conflicting, she couldn't figure out if this bond was good or bad. She wasn't sure if she hated it or not. Was it really that bad…being bonded to Damon? She couldn't deny the thought sent butterflies rampant in her stomach to a point where she was a little dizzy. Her feelings for him were strong, after all. That was one thing she knew very clearly. Of course, she had known that for a while.

Damon's irritated voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Yeah, yeah! This is a great theory, but there's just one problem…I don't feel anything! When I was away from Bonnie I _wasn't_ hurting. It was just her."

The group, except for the disappointed red head, became more confused than ever. Stefan thought hard for a moment as he paced the kitchen with his hand cupping his chin. Everyone, besides Damon, looked to him waiting for an explanation.

"Is that possible?" Elena questioned.

Stefan stopped pacing and ran a hand over his face, "I don't know. I mean, it might be. I just have to research a little and see. I think I have some old books somewhere in the study about bonding."

He let out a frustrated sigh as he turned to go look up vampiric bonds, but he halted and turned back to everyone before continuing on.

"Just…everyone relax and keep Bonnie close by Damon for the time being. I'll be back in a little bit with more information." He stated, fisting his right hand in his hair before proceeding to the study.


	2. Part 2

**WooHoo! I was able to get part 2 up pretty quick, don't ya think? Score one for me! Lol! Hope you guys enjoy!**

Suddenly, the gang heard sirens approaching the boarding house.

Damon sighed as he looked towards the front of the house, "I'll get rid of them."

He only got twenty feet before he heard Bonnie whine and felt the aching pain in his heart return. He stopped dead in his tracks, wincing as he did.

"Damon!" Meredith's stern voice called from the kitchen.

Elena came over to him seconds later, putting a hand on his arm as she passed by him.

"I've got it. Just go back and sit with Bonnie."

Damon looked up just in time to see Elena's golden blonde hair disappearing behind the front door. The ache in his chest became less and less until it was nothing as Bonnie came walking into the living room and plopped down on the couch next to the place he stood. Meredith trailed behind and sat down on the couch opposite Bonnie's.

"Damon…would you _please_ sit down?" she asked.

Looking to his left at the annoying brunette, it was then Damon noticed Bonnie practically hanging over the back of the couch just to be closer to him. He internally cursed Meredith, wishing she hadn't made his eyes catch sight of the anxious redhead. He longed to reach out and touch her, to calm the fever he knew was raging inside her. But that would only add more fuel to the fire burning away in her heart. A small ache thumped in the cavities of his chest at the thought of refusing himself Bonnie's touch. He ignored it.

Suppressing any kind of emotion the small red headed girl was stirring in him, Damon reluctantly sat down beside her on the couch.

Seeing Damon's unusual stiff posture, Bonnie decided against scooting any closer to him. The nearness between them was enough to keep the pain away, but their close proximity wasn't helping her desperate desire to touch him. It hurt, trying to stay away from him, but she knew she had too, especially with him not feeling the same.

There they all sat awkwardly on the couch, Damon looking uncomfortable and stiff as he kept his gaze toward the wall at his right, Bonnie anxious and tormented as she sat on her hands, trying to keep still, and Meredith looking between the two, examining them.

"Well…the EMT's are pissed, but I got everything all sorted out." Elena announced as she marched back inside.

No one answered. More awkward silence ensued as Elena looked over a fidgety Bonnie and an uneasy Damon before turning her gaze to Meredith, who shrugged.

"Well…I guess I'm gonna go check on Stefan." Elena said, sneakily excusing herself from the awkward room.

Meredith stood from her seat, "I'll come with you!" she announced as she hurried after Elena, thankful to be away from the weirdness in progress on the couch.

Shortly after the girls left, Damon stood up and headed back into the kitchen without so much as a glance towards Bonnie. The doe eyed girl simply watched Damon as he walked farther and farther from her. The ache in her heart caught up with his disappearance quickly and Bonnie hastily ran after him. The pain stopped, once again, as soon as she entered the kitchen.

"What are you doing?" she asked Damon, her hand still held over her previously hurting heart.

Damon rummaged through the cabinets, looking for a glass, "Getting some whiskey."

"Whiskey?" Bonnie questioned.

Damon found the glass he was looking for and plopped it down onto the granite counter top with a clank. Not bothering to look at the curious little girl at his left, he grabbed the rectangular glass bottle of whiskey sitting beside him and filled his glass cup to the brim.

He took a gulp and then slowly sighed as he let his eyes close. He wished he could be rid of this day. Hearing her shift, Damon peeked open his eyes and looked at the girl still standing next to him teetering from side to side.

He held the glass out towards her, "Want some?" he challenged, arching one brow.

Bonnie's thin brows furrowed, her eyes looking uncertain. Mustering up some courage, she reached out for the glass with her head high. That courage was quickly diminished as Damon pulled the glass back a few inches, just out of her reach. Bonnie returned her gaze to his, her brown orbs confused.

"Just a taste. You're still underage, little bird." Damon chastised as he turned his body to face hers.

Butterflies flew in Bonnie's stomach, spreading tingles throughout her body. Didn't Damon know not to call her nicknames?! Not today. Not in the state she was currently in.

Shuffling slightly closer to him, Bonnie took the glass in both hands, almost shivering as her fingers glided over Damon's. Bringing the cylinder to her mouth, she took a whiff of the caramel colored liquid. Her button nose scrunched as the strong scent of alcohol filled her nostrils. Hearing Damon chuckle, she glanced up at him.

"Backing out yet?" he smirked.

With a weary determination, Bonnie raised the glass to her lips and took a small sip. She immediately regretted it as the bitter taste of alcohol washed over her tongue. Hurriedly, she swallowed the putrid liquid assaulting her taste buds, eyes tightly shutting as it burned her throat on the way down. Immediately, she began to cough, her eyes filling with water. Running to the refrigerator, she yanked open the door, grabbed a bottled water, and gulped down half its contents in seconds, desperate to wash away the awful taste.

"Bleh!" she gagged, wiping at her mouth.

Damon laughed as he sauntered over to her, amusement gleaming in his dark eyes.

"How do you drink that?!"

With a lazy smirk across his lips, Damon reached over to the island counter and grabbed a mini Twix from the bowl of candy there. Unwrapping the chocolate coated candy bar, he held it between two fingers.

"Open." he commanded the disgusted red head.

Bonnie parted her lips and watched with nervous eyes as Damon placed the candy bar in her mouth. The mood shifted as the air around them suddenly became heated, and they both realized the repercussions of what he had just done. Bonnie let out a shaky breath as she chewed, her eyes darting around the room nervously. Everything she felt for Damon was right there at the surface again. It was almost impossible to control it. All she wanted was to be in his arms.

Damon was cursing himself in his head. He hadn't meant for the situation to turn sensual. He could feel the fire spreading again. He had to get out of this room before he made it worse. This had to stop! It had to go away! He would _make_ Bonnie's bond to him go away, no matter how much a part of him deep inside protested.

Deciding not to let things simmer for one more second, Damon attempted to douse the flames and walked away. Back in the living room, he plopped down on the couch and propped his elbow up on the arm rest before burying his face in his hand.

Bonnie came barreling out of the kitchen with watery eyes only seconds later and practically threw herself on Damon's lap. Her hands fisted into his shirt as she buried her face in the crook of his neck.

"I know you don't feel how I feel, but please try and understand. It's _hurting_ me to be away from you right now, Damon. It's _physically_ hurting me…and I just need to be _like this"_, her fisted hands bunched tighter in his shirt for emphasis, "with you for a little while, okay?" Bonnie pleaded.

Damon took hold of her upper arms, pushing her back.

"Damon! Please?!" Bonnie begged as her glistening brown eyes locked with his.

Damon's eyes became pained as they scrunched up in indecision. His entire being was screaming at him to keep her in his arms and never let go, but that one, still sensible, part of his brain was blaring its warning signal against anything Bonnie. But…the way she was looking at him. Damon's gaze fell to her mouth, where her lower lip trembled. She was about to cry. Because of him! He could fix it. He could make every ache and sorrow filling her vanish so easily! His grip tightened on her arms as did her fists on his shirt.

_Let go!_ His mind screamed at him.

A single tear fell from Bonnie's eye. Damon watched as it rolled down her cheek. His eyes snapped back to hers as she whispered to him.

"Please…"

Leaning forward slowly, Damon brushed his lips torturously over Bonnie's. Her eyes fluttered closed, the contact sending sweet shocks through her body.

Just as Damon was about to add more pressure to the dazed redhead's soft lips, nearing footsteps made by beautiful feet rang in his sensitive ears. It kicked him back into reality and he pushed Bonnie back. The small girl made a painful whimper of protest, as if she had been denied oxygen. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't keep the sting of loss from tearing at his heart. For a moment, Damon wasn't sure what was the worse choice, being weak and giving in, or rejecting the sweet lips _begging _for his. Pushing the torturous draw of the girl in his lap aside, Damon shoved Bonnie from his lap and rushed into the kitchen.

Elena walked back into the living room just in time to see Damon forcefully tear Bonnie from him and stand from the couch. She didn't miss Bonnie's tormented whimper at her loss or the way Damon's brows had furrowed in agony as he fisted a hand in his hair. Next thing she knew, Damon had disappeared into the kitchen, leaving a devastated Bonnie curled up on the couch in pain.

Elena immediately chased after Damon, angry at him for making Bonnie suffer again. Bursting into the kitchen, she was on his heels as he went straight for his liquor cabinet.

"What are you doing?! Bonnie's hurting!"

Damon didn't even face her, "Leave it be, Elena!"

He searched through the liquor bottles until he found his favorite, vodka, and then quickly poured a glass.

Elena, appalled at his behavior, snatched the glass from his hands and dumped its contents into the sink, much to Damon's displeasure.

"What the hell are you doing?! That's the finest vodka in the _world_ and you just dumped it down the drain!"

Elena rolled her eyes, "You can buy more."

Damon sighed, clearly frustrated as he fisted his hand that rested on the counter top.

"Listen...just because Bonnie has some abandonment issues, at the moment, doesn't mean it's right for me to have to babysit her. This isn't my problem!"

"You made it your problem when you drank each other's blood at the same time last night! Bonnie didn't know what could happen! But _you_ did! _You _were supposed to be the responsible one!" Elena yelled, pointing an accusing finger at Damon's chest.

"How was I supposed to know what would happen?! I was thirsty! End of story! I never thought that a rare vampiric bond would rear its shitty head!" Damon countered.

"That isn't even the point! If you were thirsty you should've just drank from Bonnie and gone, not performed some weird, vampire bonding ritual with her!" Elena thought for a second and shook her head, "Scratch that. You should've gone and gotten a blood bag!"

Damon smirked, his usual devious expression returning.

"I wanted it fresh." he hissed seductively, his eyebrows raising briefly, insinuating a sexual undertone.

Elena scoffed, disgusted with his playboy-ish behavior.

"Jealous?" Damon asked, suggestively.

Elena wondered for a moment if she was, but there were more important things on hand to worry about.

"Damon, she's hurting! The _least_ you can do is help her out until we can get her fixed...especially since _you_ caused this!" she reprimanded, once again pointing the finger of blame.

Damon sighed heavily, rolling his dark eyes.

"I don't mind staying near her, but I can't deal with the clinginess!"

Elena narrowed her eyes at him.

"She can't help it. Right now, _you_ are the only thing easing her pain. I'd do the same if it were me." she whispered the last, mostly to herself, as she tucked a shiny strand of gold behind her ear and turned to walk back out to the living room.

But Damon hadn't missed the last of her sentence.

"If it was you...things would be different." he said just loud enough for Elena's ears to catch.

She blushed as she re-entered the living room. Bonnie burst passed her into the kitchen the second she stepped foot into the room and Elena couldn't stop the giggle that erupted from her lips at the thought of poor Damon being bombarded once again.

All Damon saw was red curls flying towards him, and then a petite body crashed into his. He groaned, though not entirely out of annoyance. The painful, yet bearable, ache in his chest diminished the moment Bonnie flung her arms around him.

He had managed to forget the pain when he had charged in here, being more focused on the anger her felt towards himself for being so affected by her. Now that she was in his arms again, he couldn't deny how much more complete he felt.

Wait! Since when did he need anyone, especially _Bonnie_, to make him feel complete?! He was already complete! All he needed was himself and some fresh blood to drink and he was perfectly content. Damon was only dependant on Damon. He was his own better half.

Damon wrapped his fingers around her shoulders, giving her a gentle push.

"Bonnie, please let go."

He despised the sweet shivers rushing up and down his spine as Bonnie's arms squeezed tighter around his waist.

Bonnie clenched her fingers into the back of his shirt, wadding the material up in her hands.

"Please, don't push me away." she begged, the side of her face crushed against his muscular chest.

Damon looked down, watching her face relax into a state of pure pleasure, all the lines in her tormented features vanishing as she calmed against him. Something in Damon went weak. His hand braced against the counter for support while he forced himself to regained his stability.

"Feels. So. Good." Bonnie mumbled softly as she snuggled into him.

Damon's mind went dizzy as those forbidden thoughts flooded him again. The waves of desire rolling through him were enough to put him on his knees, but he refused to bow to the ridiculous vampiric bond that had a hold over them. With his back against the counter and his hands digging into the marble on either side of him, he stood awkwardly, not daring to lay a hand on the girl inflicting such wonderful torture on him.

The amount of will power Damon was demonstrating amazed even him. His resistance only faltered slightly when his eyes rolled back in his head for a split second. He couldn't help it! The pull between them was undeniable, and Damon could feel the constant waves of desire crashing into him.

"Bonnie, we-you have to move. I literally can't take anymore." Damon pleaded, his voice breathy.

Hearing the desperation in his voice, Bonnie willed herself to move away from him, not wanting to make him angry with her again. She worried she was already too late.

As soon as she let go of him, Damon turned his back to her, putting his elbows on the counter-top and burying his face in his hands.

"D-Damon, I..."

Damon shot his left hand up beside his head, holding it stiffly in the air, "Bonnie, stop! Don't speak, don't touch me, just..." he trailed off, distraught as he brought his hand back to his face and rubbed it.

Tears welled up in Bonnie's eyes. She had upset him for the last time today. Wiping away a fallen tear, she forced her feet to carry her from the kitchen, heading to her room. She knew it would hurt like crazy, but it was better than hurting Damon. She would rather be in pain for a while than have him hate her forever.

As soon as she reached the swinging door at the end of the long kitchen, a deep ache shot through her heart and she dropped to her knees.

Damon winced and clutched at his chest as the same ache went through him. Being naturally more pain tolerant, he played it off and turned to see what on earth Bonnie was doing to cause such pain.

"What the hell are you doing?!" he shouted, seeing Bonnie hurting on the floor.

"I don't wanna make you mad anymore." Bonnie explained, her hand pressed over her heart.

"So you'd rather kill yourself?!" Damon question, astonished.

"I won't kill myself! I'll just be in pain for a little bit. I can handle it!" she insisted.

Damon scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest, "You won't even make it up the stairs."

With a newfound determination, Bonnie stood from the floor, "Watch me!"

She marched out of the room as if there weren't a thing in the world to hinder her from doing so.

Damon stood still, feeling the ache in his heart increase as she stepped further and further away. He groaned, the pain getting a bit stronger than he liked. Surely she would stop. She wasn't as pain tolerant as he was. She would stop soon.

The ache surged stronger, deeper, and Damon groaned louder, digging the tips of his fingers into his chest. Finally, he couldn't handle it anymore, and he flew from the kitchen to the steps where he found Bonnie sitting near the top crying.

She dried her tears as he got closer, the pain fading for both of them.

"I'm sorry." she apologized, her voice cracking as she sniffed.

Damon climbed the steps and sat on the one two down from her, his shoulders by her feet. He blew out a breath from between his lips, already exhausted from the heavy emotion generated by today's events. His fingers wound their way into the silky strands of pitch black hair covering his head and tugged. He wasn't sure how much more of this he could take.

"It's not your fault." Damon mumbled, as much as he hated to admit the fact.

It was comfortable silence as they both calmed their racing minds and regained composure, until Bonnie couldn't keep from voicing her increasingly bold thoughts.

"Can I at least sit in your lap?"

**Yes...I left you with a little cliff-hanger. Don't hate me, though! Part 3 will be up soon!**


	3. Part 3

**Here's the third part! Looks like this story is going to have at least five or six parts...we'll see. The end is definitely in sight, though. Haha! Anyhow, hope you guys like the 3rd part and please let me know what you think! Next part to come soon, no longer than a week! Have fun reading and please ignore any errors! I try my best. Lol!**

Damon looked up at her over his left shoulder. Her face was flushed, embarrassed by her own question, but her chocolate eyes swirled with desperation...unstoppable hope that he would say yes.

"I-It just...it makes me feel better. It eases the pain." she tried to justify, talking in her most adorable voice before giving him puppy dog eyes.

"Please? It hurts." she begged, crossing her arms over her chest as she jutted her bottom lip out slightly in a tiny pout.

Damon almost laughed; he couldn't believe she was lying to him right now! She might be as innocent as a flower but apparently she had no shame when it came to getting what she wanted. He would've called her out on her fib, but that would've meant to confess being bonded to her as well.

He felt fine. Not a single hint of any sort of ache, so he knew all too well that she wasn't in any kind of pain either. The little brat was just trying to fool him in order to have her way! What a devious little thing this bond had turned her into.

To keep from laughing, Damon feigned annoyance and sighed, holding his arms open for her.

"Come on." he grumbled.

Bonnie's little pout instantly shaped into a smile that brightened her entire face as she hurriedly scrambled into his inviting arms.

Without warning, she straddle him, taking him by surprise. Damon sucked in a sharp breath as he went rigid. This was not what he had agreed to!

His posture completely froze as she pressed herself as close to him as she could get. A low growl rumbled in Damon's throat as all his senses were battered by her. He squeezed his eyes shut, willing himself to remain still and keep his head about him. But it was easier said than done. He was on the brink of insanity all over again at the overwhelming closeness of her.

Bonnie slung her arms over his shoulders and hugged herself to him, laying the side of her face against his. She hummed in delight and Damon was about to lose his mind.

As she settled in his lap, Damon finally took a breath. It was a small breath, one with which to test the air. The miniscule breath caught in his throat as he inhaled nothing but Bonnie's heady scent. It did nothing but add more fog to his cloudy brain. Her soft curls brushed the side of his face, tickling his cheek and nose.

Cautiously reaching up, Damon placed his hands gently at the small curve of her waist. Before he could stop himself, his nose was buried in her strawberry curls. His thumbs, of their own accord, caressed her ribs, rubbing over them softly and savoring every swipe made.

"Straddling my lap, and sitting in it are two completely different things, redbird." Damon teased, his supple lips brushing the side of her neck as he spoke.

He smirked as he heard her heart skip a beat.

"The pain goes away better like this." she said quietly in a bashful tone.

Damon rolled his eyes, desperately wishing he could call her out in her lies.

"I find it hard to believe the pain never goes away unless we're _this_ close."

Bonnie pulled back to look him in the eyes, "How should you know?! _I'm_ the one dealing with it!"

Damon narrowed his eyes at her quizzically. Taking her by the upper arms, he lightly pushed her back, putting about a foot between them. Bonnie looked on, confused.

"So _this_ hurts?" Damon challenged, nodding down to the space between them.

"I-It's starting too..." Bonnie nodded, her eyes scrunching in fake pain.

Damon pulled her back into him until their noses were almost touching.

"Better?" he asked, his dark eyes boring into hers, trapping her gaze.

Bonnie's heart pounded with anticipation, her small breaths becoming more audible as she inhaled and exhaled quicker. She was so desperate to have him kiss her that she lied again and shook her head. Her gaze dipped down to his lips, parted and looking delectable.

Damon knew very well what she wanted, but he refused to give in, if only for his sake. Instead, he lowered his mouth to her throat. He didn't miss Bonnie's small whine of protest as he did so. Ignoring it, he dragged his parted lips down her neck.

Bonnie moaned, tilting her head further to the side, allowing him full access to do as he pleased. Her hands found their way into his hair and she twirled her fingers around the tips.

Damon followed the trail he had made back up until he reached her ear.

"Better, now?" he whispered, his hot breath warming her ear.

Bonnie nodded, weakly.

"Good." he responded, and then abruptly pulled back from her, leaning against one of the steps behind him.

Bonnie stared at him, bewildered, her brows lowered over her eyes.

"That...that's it?" she asked.

Damon couldn't give her what she wanted. It was too dangerous. He was barely keeping control as it was. There was no way he would take the chance of making this..._bond_ worse. He shouldn't have even let her sit in his lap to begin with; it only created more problems. But he couldn't resist having just a chaste taste of her; it was eating at him. He knew it was wrong to tease her, but he couldn't help it if their bond was making him a bit more reckless with her than he should have been. He just needed one small moment of intimacy with her...just _one_. After all, he was denying himself what he wanted more than anything. It was no easy task, either! Didn't he deserve just one small piece of her in reward for his effort?

"What were you expecting?" he asked, some part of him afraid of the answer.

Bonnie eyes began to glisten as they filled with tears right before him. She shook her head and lowered her gaze to her legs.

"Nothing." she whispered.

Damon had to turn his eyes away and stare at the wall. He couldn't stand to watch the pain of disappointment etch its way onto her beautiful face.

"Can we go sit on the couch now?" she asked, her voice soft and broken.

Damon nodded; they both untangled themselves from one another and stood. He followed behind Bonnie as they walked back down the stairs and into the living room. Elena sat in one of the chairs quietly reading a magazine, her legs curled underneath her. Damon sat down on the couch facing her and generously let Bonnie sit close to him.

Elena glanced up at them, her eyes shifting between an upset Bonnie and an anxiety ridden Damon. She had heard Bonnie storm out of the kitchen and Damon go after her. She was fooling herself in thinking that maybe they had worked things out. It was _Damon_ after all.

Not bothering to ask and add to the tension, she simply let her eyes fall back to the colorful clothing pictured in the magazine pages.

"So how do these bonds even form?!" Meredith asked as she leaned over Stefan to try and get a look at the books he was intently studying.

Stefan sighed and leaned back in his chair, wiping his hands over his face.

"Well, _usually_, when two vampires share blood simultaneously it's a sign of affection between the two, which means they have some sort of romantic relationship. Blood sharing, of that nature, is a very..._personal_ thing between mine and Damon's kind." Stefan began, putting things as chastely as he could.

"Wait a minute. Are you saying that Damon and Bonnie had..." Meredith trailed off, too flustered to spit the word out of her jumbled brain.

"Sex? In a way." Stefan answered, not too fond of the reality himself.

"Oh, I just want to...ring his neck!" Meredith grumbled angrily as she paced around the study. She could swear she was seeing red. How dare he do something so vulgar with her sweet, innocent best friend!

"But" Stefan interjected, "I doubt it was sexual for her, because she's not a vampire. Blood sharing affects vampires differently. But for Damon...it might have been."

Meredith scoffed and shook her head, "He's such a vile, disgusting monster!"

"I'm aware. But there's nothing any of us can do about this now. It's in the past."

Meredith let out a breath and calmed her temper, but only slightly.

"You're right."

"Continue." she urged Stefan.

Stefan straightened himself in his chair before proceeding.

"When vampires drink blood from one another it's always a sort of euphoric experience because it connects you by blood. However, if there is any sort of romantic relationship or feelings between the two vampires it forms a connection of the heart, which bonds you together in a deeper manner. That's where the..._sex_ part comes in." Stefan explained a bit uncomfortably.

Clearing his throat, he continued on.

"Depending on how strongly the two vampires love one another, the connection can fall even deeper and turn into a connection of the soul. _That_ is when the bond forms. Because blood sharing intensifies whatever feelings are within, love can intensify to a point where it binds couples together."

Stefan looked down at the book on his desk, "According to this, the couple can be completely oblivious that the bond even formed during the blood sharing because they aren't aware how strongly they feel towards each other."

Meredith looked at Stefan, confused, "But don't they feel these 'intensified feelings' surfacing?"

Stefan tapped the book with his index finger, "Not according to this. It repeatedly explains that the bond reacts to love, whether known or unknown. So, I guess even if your feelings are still hidden to you, as long as the right degree of love is _present_, the bond will still react to it."

"Weird..." Meredith muttered to herself, a thoughtful expression on her features.

She snapped out of her dazed thoughts as a question popped to the front of her mind.

"But all this is referring to two _vampires,_ correct?"

Stefan nodded.

"Then how does it happen between a vampire and a human?!"

"It isn't that it happens differently, it's just more difficult. Where vampires experience these highs from drinking blood, humans don't. So any feelings humans have don't intensify like they do for vampires, making it harder for a bond to form. Almost impossible actually." Stefan clarified.

Meredith was silent as she tried to piece together all the information in an attempt to make some sort of sense of it all.

"So, what you're saying is that Bonnie loves Damon to such an intense degree that a bond was able to form between them?"

Stefan nodded once, confirming her correct, "That's what I'm saying."

"Then that means Damon's in love with Bonnie too, right?! I mean, you said yourself sometimes the person doesn't know how much they love the other!" Meredith exclaimed triumphantly. She had Damon pinned! She was sure of it.

Stefan gave a firm nod, "You're right, that could be the case. However, I-I also found..."

He trailed off with a sigh, letting his head fall, his eyes closing painfully as he struggled to continue.

Meredith fell concerned as she reached a hand out to Stefan's shoulder.

"Stefan...what's wrong? What is it?"

Reaching up, Stefan rubbed his eyes with his forefinger and thumb.

"I found two other cases where only one vampire bonded to the other. They call it a partial bond. The first case was a man, and he said it took years, but the bond eventually faded because it had nothing to hold to. He also said it was painful because after a day or two his proximity to the other person stopped helping the ache. The second case was a woman..." Stefan trailed off again, taking a deep breath before going on.

"The woman...she couldn't take the pain. The bond inflicted so much pain on her that her body couldn't handle it. She died four days after the bond had formed."

Stefan's head fell into his left hand that was propped up by the arm of the chair he sat on.

Meredith's hands flew up to her mouth as she gasped, horrified. Hot tears sprang in her eyes. Damon had done this! He didn't bond to her and now she was going to die because of him!

Stefan stood up and took Meredith by the shoulder's.

"It doesn't mean Bonnie's going to have the same fate, Meredith. The man lived! He _lived_!" Stefan stressed, trying his best to calm his distraught friend.

Meredith nodded, swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat.

"Do we..." she gulped, "do we tell her?"

Stefan shook his head, "No. It's too uncertain. But I read that if she becomes physically ill in the next twenty-four hours...that's pretty much a sign that..."

"That she'll die..." Meredith finished, her voice nothing more than a sorrowful breath.

Stefan's eyes only dropped from hers to the floor, sadness masking his handsome features.

"You should stay with her tonight." he suggested, his voice barely above a whisper.

Meredith nodded fiercely, "Elena and I both will!"

Stefan looked even more troubled at the mention of his girlfriend.

"Elena. I need to tell her. Would you tell her to come in here, please?"

"Yeah. I'll go get her." Meredith answered sadly as she exited the study.

Walking down a long hallway and taking a turn, Meredith walked into the living room.

"Elena! Stefan wants to talk to you."

"Ok." Elena answered, quickly setting her magazine down and walking off in the direction of the study, wary as she sensed Meredith's bothered demeanor.

Meredith sat in Elena's place and offered Bonnie a small smile as the red head looked her way. She saw Bonnie's eyes rimmed red and filled with tears and instantly became more concerned than she probably should have.

"You ok?" she mouthed to her best friend.

Bonnie nodded and looked down at her hands in her lap where she was playing with her fingers.

Meredith's eyes shifted over to Damon, an underlying hatred boiling beneath her skin as she examined the emotionally exhausted vampire. She could tell just by looking at him that he wasn't in his normal care-free spirits. His head was rested back against the couch, his eyes staring blankly up at the ceiling. He looked as if he were silently suffering. Meredith chalked it up to him feeling guilty about blood sharing with Bonnie. Good! She hoped him tormented with guilt for the rest of his miserable existence!

Later that night, Bonnie was lying across on one of the velvet, antique couches that made up the living room. Damon lied, stretched out, across the matching couch perpendicular to her. Elena lied in the love seat that sat directly opposite Bonnie. Facing her friend, she offering her a sweet smile. Meredith laid on the floor on some blankets and pillows beside Bonnie, prepared to jump into action at the slightest sound of distress from her friend.

Damon sighed loudly, annoyed with his predicaments, having to sleep down on the living room couch with an audience instead of alone in his heavenly king size bed.

"You guys really don't have to stay down here. I'll be fine. Damon's right here. Really, I'm ok." Bonnie insisted, still unsure as to why her friends were spending the night with her to begin with.

Elena and Meredith shared a knowing look.

"I'm sure you will be fine. But we just want to be sure." Elena answered, a fake smile lifting her lips.

"It just hurts when Damon's too far away, is all. But he's right here. Nothing else is going to happen." Bonnie assured her friends.

Elena and Meredith both cast their eyes down, the burden of knowledge weighing on them.

Damon lifted his arm from its place over his eyes and turned his head to his left, looking at Elena and Meredith.

"Let's just acknowledge the elephant in the room! Damon's going to leave her if we aren't here to watch him! I know that's what you two are worried about. I'm not stupid!" he blurted.

Elena and Meredith simply rolled their eyes and turned their attention back to Bonnie.

"Can we just all go to sleep, please? It's midnight!" Bonnie interrupted, throwing her hand up pointedly above her.

"Yeah, sorry." Meredith apologized as they all shifted into more comfortable positions.

Not too many minutes later, Bonnie and Damon were fast asleep. Meredith and Elena, on the other hand, were only able to toss and turn uncomfortably. Their racing minds forbade sleep as they fretted over Bonnie's well being the closer and closer time ticked to the twenty four hour mark.

"Meredith!" Elena whispered.

"Yeah?"

"Can you sit up and look at Bonnie? Does she look sick?"

Meredith moved around as quietly as possible until she was on her knees, leaning over Bonnie's head. Her hands gripped the arm of the couch as she tried her best to examine Bonnie's face in the dark room.

"No. She looks pretty peaceful actually." Meredith whispered as she laid back down in her make-shift bed.

Elena nodded, "Good."

"I can't sleep. I keep worrying about her." Meredith admitted, laying on her back and staring up at the high ceiling.

"Me too."

Eventually, sleep overrode their fatigued forms, and they slept until the sun awoke them late the next morning.

Meredith was the first to wake. She stretched as she did every morning, her tight muscles loosening. As her groggy state cleared, she remembered the most important reason why she had slept on the living room floor and jumped to her knees, leaning over Bonnie once more.

The first thing she noticed was Bonnie's chest moving with her deep breaths in and out. Meredith breathed a sigh of relief. Her cheeks were rosy from the warmth of the blankets she huddled under, and her expression was serene. That was it. Bonnie had made it through the full twenty four hours! She would get through this bond!

So overwhelmed with joy, Meredith stood and ran to Elena's side, shaking her violently.

Elena groaned, propping herself up on one elbow as she rubbed at her eyes, "What?"

"Look at Bonnie!" she said, unable to keep the wide smile from her lips.

Elena opened her eyes and focused their blue depths on Bonnie, who was clearly content and alive as she snuggled deeper into her pillow.

Elena jumped up and grabbed Meredith into a tight hug. Both of them sniffed, trying to keep their happy tears from falling.

"I'm so glad she's ok!" Elena said softly.

"Me too!"

"She will still have to go through the pain of losing the bond though." Meredith reminded, breaking their hug.

"And we'll help her through it." Elena stated supportively, trying to keep the joyful mood from spoiling


	4. Part 4

**Here's part four! Hope you all like it!**

Letting Bonnie and Damon get their rest, Meredith and Elena went into the kitchen to cook pancakes for themselves and Bonnie. Stefan joined them later, delighted to hear the good news about the little red-head as he sipped on his blood bag.

Bonnie walked in, followed closely by Damon, just as the pancakes were golden and ready to be served. She excitedly clapped her hands as she saw the yummy breakfast awaiting her. Elena laughed at her friend as Meredith fetched some plates and syrup from the cabinets.

Damon went to sit next to Stefan on the bar stools and greedily snatched the blood bag from his brother's hands. Without a word, Damon sucked the blood into his mouth. As soon as the red substance touched his tongue, he wrenched his lips from the plastic bag and whipped his head to the left, spitting the blood from his mouth. His face scrunched in disgust.

"Damn, Stefan! How the hell do you drink that?!"

"What are you talking about?"

"It tastes terrible!" Damon grumbled.

"No matter how it tastes, you're cleaning it up! That's disgusting, Damon!" Meredith scolded, pointing to the spatter of blood coating the hard wood floor.

Damon huffed, going over to the kitchen sink to rinse his mouth.

"I guess drinking too much blood directly from the vein has made you intolerable to anything different, brother." Stefan teased in a disapproving tone.

Damon grimaced as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Grabbing the dish rag from the sink, he turned and went to clean the bloody floor boards.

Elena, Meredith, and Bonnie sat down at the long table near the far end of the kitchen and began to eat. Bonnie hummed, delighted as the fluffy pancake soaking with maple syrup landed on her tongue.

"Yum." She mumbled through a mouthful of pancake.

Meredith and Elena giggled, simply happy to be sharing another meal with their best friend.

"Well what am I supposed to do? Starve?! I can't leave to feed and I'm damn sure not dragging Bonnie with me!" Damon complained as he rinsed the blood stained rag out under the faucet.

"Guess you're just out of luck, Damon." Stefan said, uncaring of whether his brother fed today or not. He had had quite enough blood yesterday to survive for a while.

Damon slapped the rag down in the sink with a sloshy thud, and turned to glare at his brother.

"You aren't getting a single drop out of this girl's veins!" Meredith called from her seat at the table before shoving another forkful of pancake into her mouth.

Damon turned to look at her, glaring a special, dark glare that he had concocted especially for her.

"Meredith, I would rather starve to death than drink from you!"

"I'm all for it!" she shot back, her own dark green eyes narrowing in return.

"Damon, you're just going to have to bear it and drink from the blood bags for a while." Stefan stated.

"Absolutely not!" Damon shouted, looking at his brother as if he were crazy.

"Well you have no other choice. No way you're drinking from Bonnie again! Ever!" Meredith stated firmly while Bonnie blushed.

Elena rolled her eyes at the childish banter that had transpired.

"Alright!" she intervened, "No one needs to starve over this. Damon can have some of my blood."

Jealousy flooded Bonnie, and suddenly she felt sick. She knew she wouldn't be able to watch Damon feed from her; not after what had happened between them. It would be too cruel a sight for her eyes to bear.

"Thank you, Elena." Damon said sweetly, rubbing it in his younger brother's face.

Suddenly, Bonnie's sickness wasn't just from thoughts of Damon drinking Elena's blood. Her stomach turned with nausea. Looking down at her half eaten plate of pancakes smothered in syrup and butter, Bonnie cold feel the contents of her stomach rising. There was no doubt about it, she was about to throw up.

Dropping her fork on the plate, creating a loud clang, Bonnie shot up from her seat and ran full speed to the nearest bathroom, not caring about the ache already beginning in her chest. She held her hands over her mouth, praying she would make it on time. The bathroom was just across the hall from the study.

Bursting through the door into the typical white bathroom, Bonnie fell to her knees by the toilet. Flinging the lid up, she leaned over and vomited into the toilet bowl. She coughed twice before flushing the toilet and leaning back against the wall to catch her breath. Curling her knees up to her chest, she clutched her hands over her heart, almost blinded by the immense pain rolling through her bones. She felt like she might puke all over again.

Rushed footsteps flew down the hallway in her direction. One of the footsteps were Damon's, she knew, because the ache was subsiding.

Meredith burst through the door, looking frantic. Seeing a pale, sickly looking Bonnie on the floor, she immediately dropped to her knees beside her. Brushing her red curls back from her face, Meredith put the back of her hand to Bonnie's forehead, checking her temperature.

"You don't feel like you have a fever. Are you ok?" she asked, her eyes studying Bonnie's face intently.

"It hurts. Damon..." she breathed, reaching out for him as she saw his head peeking through the door behind Elena.

Elena moved to the side to let Damon pass. Hastily, Damon scooped her up in his arms, holding her close.

"Better?" he asked.

Bonnie nodded, some color returning to her face.

"Will you go sit with her on the couch?" Elena asked Damon, who nodded instantly.

"I'll bring her out some sprite." she announced as they reached the living room once again.

Damon sat down on the couch with Bonnie in his lap, her head laying against his shoulder. He heard Meredith explaining what had happened to a worried Stefan as she followed Elena back into the kitchen. He couldn't lie, he was glad to have a moment, no matter how short, alone with his girl.

Looking down at her beautiful complexion, Damon ran the backs of his fingers down the side of her face. She smiled, her big brown eyes locking with his.

"What am I going to do with you? First you can't be more than a few feet from me, and now you're sick." Damon teased with a small chuckle.

"I'm not sick. I feel perfect now." Bonnie insisted, dazed as she stared up into Damon's obsidian eyes.

"That's only because you're cuddled up in my arms." he smirked.

Bonnie's delicate fingers reached up and traced Damon's jaw, feeling the stubble prick the pads of her fingers.

Closing the inch of space between them, Damon touched his lips to her forehead, kissing it firmly. Bonnie's eyes fell shut, savoring the moment she knew wouldn't last long.

Elena came out with an open can of Sprite and cleared her throat as she saw Damon and Bonnie's rather intimate exchange.

Damon pulled his lips from Bonnie's head and helped her to sit up straighter in his lap as Elena sat down beside them and handed her the Sprite.

"Thank you." Bonnie said softly as she took the soda can from Elena.

Bringing the can up to her mouth, Bonnie took a sip of the fizzy drink. She knew it would have helped settle her stomach if it weren't for the fact that her nausea had already gone. Nonetheless, it had been a nice gesture from her friend.

"You feel ok?" Elena asked, concern clear in her voice.

Bonnie nodded, "I feel fine."

"Good." The gorgeous blonde answered, looking more concerned than she should have.

She shook her head as if to clear it and looked at Damon with a friendly smile.

"Do you still want a drink?" she asked, holding her bare arm out in from of him.

Damon nodded once, "That would be nice."

Bonnie felt the nausea returning, her stomach churning as Damon gently slid her off his lap and sat her down next to him.

Wrapping both sets of fingers around Elena's smooth arm, Damon sunk his fangs into her wrist, reveling at the delicious blood filling his mouth.

Stefan and Meredith walked in, both almost sick at the sight of Damon feeding. Meredith looked to Stefan, who rolled his eyes as he plopped down onto the love seat. She knew it must be hard for him...watching his brother drink from his girlfriend.

"Careful! Don't bond with her, too!" Meredith jabbed, going to sit down on the couch Damon had slept on the previous night.

Damon only growled in response.

Bonnie was sitting with her back to them, her eyes squeezed shut as she tried not to hear Damon's slow gulps. Meredith was the first to notice Bonnie's posture. As soon as her eyes caught sight of her suffering friend, she knew exactly what was bothering her. Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do to prevent it.

Damon lifted his mouth from Elena's wrist and licked his bloody lips, looking sated as he relaxed back into the couch. The bite wound healed in seconds from Damon's swift lick as Elena hopped up to go sit with her boyfriend on the loveseat.

"There, you've fed. Now you can stop complai-"

Stefan was cut short as Damon suddenly flew forward and violently vomited. Every last drop of Elena's blood spilled onto the floor, permanently staining the antique rug under the wooden coffee table.

Damon coughed, grabbing onto the table as he slid off the couch and onto his knees. A string of blood mixed with saliva hung from his lips as he heaved once more. It was a dry heave, his stomach already empty. Bonnie slid closer to him, putting a hand on his leather jacket clad back.

"Damon! Are you ok?" Bonnie's concerned voice sounded seconds before everyone else put their two cents in.

"What's the matter with you?" came Stefan's inquiry.

"Gross!" Meredith complained, trying to shield her eyes from the pool of blood all over the floor.

"You're sick again?!" Elena exclaimed.

Damon wiped his mouth with his right hand then shook off the slimy substance strung around his fingers. Shaking his head in disbelief, his left hand lifted from the coffee table and then slammed back down onto it, unintentionally leaving a slight dent.

"What the hell?!" he growled.

Meredith huffed and went to get a rag and some bleach, figuring it would be up to her to clean while everyone else was busy coming up with an explanation for Damon's sudden resistance to blood.

Stefan's thick brows furrowed, lines in his forehead appearing as he let his mind go deep in thought. Elena looked on, puzzled over what could be wrong with her favorite dark vampire. She was just glad that Stefan couldn't see the small glimmer of hurt that had settled in her lapis orbs. Her blood had always sated him. It was his favorite! It didn't seem so any longer as she looked down, sadly, at the pool of blood staining the flooring.

Damon slumped back against the couch, reclaiming his seat next to a concerned Bonnie. He let his head fall back, his face staring up at the ceiling as he took calm breaths through his nose.

"It...it could be that you're developing a preference. I have heard of vampires only being able to consume a certain type of blood after some time." Stefan stated, still deep in thought as he stared off into space.

Snapping from his daze, Stefan got up from the loveseat and started towards the study once more. He was sure he had a book about blood preferences somewhere too.

He sighed as he paused his steps for a moment to look back at his brother, a theory nagging at his brain.

"Are you _sure_ you're not hur-"

"I'm not hurting, Stefan!" Damon snapped.

Stefan sighed at his brother's defensiveness and proceeded on to the study. He almost smiled to himself as he stepped out of their view; he had expected a hot-headed response even before he asked his question. It was typical, Damon. Almost funny, how well he knew his elder sibling.

The day ended once more, the sky going dark and settling fatigue into the bodies of the stressed group in the boarding house. Once again, Damon was sleeping on the couch in the living room next to Bonnie. It was a bit different this time as Elena and Meredith were both in their rightful rooms fast asleep. If it hadn't been for Bonnie's insisting, they would have stayed. Damon was glad that, at least, they weren't there to stare at him all night long and keep him awake with their constant hushed chatting. Although there was one positive, he was starting to regret not investing in a pull out bed as he tossed from side to side, an uncomfortable mess. On top of it all...he was becoming hungry again. The ache was not in his heart at the moment, but in his throat that thirsted for the red liquid his body was _determined _not to ingest.

Damon swallowed nothing but saliva, wishing it was blood as the action only reminded him how starved he really was.

His brother had been no help! After researching, Stefan had brought him a blood bag containing his favorite blood type and demanded Damon drink it contents. Being pressured, Damon had taken one sip and immediately hurled the tiny amount he had swallowed, leaving another mess for an irritated Meredith to clean up. Eventually, after countless hours shuffling through dusty books, Stefan had had to call it a night, promising to return to his research first thing in the morning.

So here he lied, uncomfortable and starved next to a fidgeting redbird who was, unintentionally, torturing him even further with the way her fleece blanket had ridden up, exposing her bare leg. That wasn't even the worst part! As Damon's increasingly dark eyes roamed her slender body, he noticed her nightgown had ridden up as well, exposing a sliver of the pink panties covering her bottom. Tearing his eyes from the thin piece of material screaming for his undivided attention, he trained his gaze to the ceiling, groaning as he reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose.

Bonnie, half awake, rolled over in concern as she heard a noise sound from Damon's mouth. Rubbing one eye as they tried to focus on his silhouette in the darkness, Bonnie propped herself up on her pillows and yawned.

"You okay?" she asked.

Damon sighed, slapping his hand back down to his side, "I'm fine."

His curt answer sparked worry in her, and Bonnie knew he wasn't alright.

"You're hungry." she stated, knowing exactly what was keeping him up.

"Don't remind me."

Gathering her confidence, Bonnie pushed her blanket back and shuffled over to him.

He felt the cushion sink slightly as Bonnie came and sat at his side on the edge of the couch. Suddenly, her bare, creamy skin was hovering right above his mouth as she offered her wrist to him. He could feel the heat of her arm radiating onto his lips as her warm limb lingered only inches away. Without warning, his fangs descended of their own accord, his eyes changing into the bloodshot red that showcased the creature inside him. He could smell the blood rushing through her veins as her heart rate picked up, no doubt from nerves.

Her blood would, no doubt, taste every bit as good as the first time! But what was the use? He wouldn't be able to keep it down. Moreover, this was _Bonnie._ He had already drank more gulps of her blood than her cared anyone to know about. Look what happened from that! Damon had _definitely_ learned from the last time and would _not_ be doing that again! What if there was a repeat bond? Could that even happen?! What if the existing bond got worse?! What if it _killed_ one of them?! There were too many questions, too many possibilities and outcomes. It was too risky! Damon couldn't..._wouldn't_ do it again!

Oh, but he was so thirsty! And her delectable arm was right there in front of him! And the more he hesitated the faster her blood pumped, the anticipation eating at her. It was torture, and it was literally staring him in the face!

"I-I know you're having a hard time keeping it down, but I just thought maybe...maybe another try wouldn't hurt. And you haven't tried to drink from me yet, not that I'm expecting my blood to be any different! If you throw up again, I'll clean it! Don't worry!" she rambled, trying to convince him to drink from her.

Carefully, as if he were afraid his touch might trigger another bond, Damon wrapped his fingers around Bonnie's hand and forearm before slowly bringing her wrist closer to his mouth.

He halted his movements and flicked his eyes to hers, "What about the bond?"

"It's just you drinking this time." Bonnie reminded.

Pondering over the consequences, the ache in Damon's throat surged and he couldn't deny himself blood for one second longer.

"Just a taste, first."

Damon sunk his razor sharp fangs into her wrist and moaned as a trickle of blood began to flow over his tongue. Regardless of how good it tasted, Damon pulled back and paused, waiting for himself to get sick.

Bonnie waited too, nervously, expecting him to vomit any second.

It was silent as the seconds ticked by, both of them gaining more and more hope as no sign of sickness arose. The second hand went a full three hundred and sixty degrees clockwise and Damon was just fine. Bonnie smiled, feeling triumphant that her plan had worked and enthused that it was _her_ blood that seemed to go accepted by Damon's body.

Damon smiled wide, showing his perfectly straight pearly whites. He had never felt so grateful in his life!

His body's crave for more overrode his joy and he sunk his fangs back into his little bird's wrist. Bonnie winced at the sharpness, but was too cocky over Damon's tolerance to her blood to care about anything else. Pride filled her, she had been able to aid him a second time when all seemed hopeless.

After a few big sips, Damon pulled his mouth from her wrist and sealed the puncture wound he had left there. Licking his lips, he rested his head back against the pillows he slept on and hummed in satisfaction.

"Thank you." he whispered.

"I'm glad you're able to drink blood again." Bonnie replied, tracing her finger tips lightly over the flawlessly healed bite mark that had been open on her wrist only seconds ago.

"It must've been stress or something."

The arrogance lighting Bonnie's enthusiasm faded, causing a frown to grace her lips. She had never thought of any other possibility, and she felt so stupid. Of course it was only coincidence! Her blood wasn't the only substance he could consume, he simply had his tolerance back.

"Right...stress." Bonnie reiterated, forcing a small smile to her mouth. It did little to mask the disappointment in her eyes.

Standing, Bonnie made a step to move back to her couch, but her weakened body refused to cooperate with her. Her tired legs buckled and she fell backwards, landing across Damon.

The dark vampire groaned as he caught her by the arms, her body completely pressed into his, capturing his full attention. The small hands on his chest became jittery as Bonnie's nervous eyes locked with his. Damon clenched his teeth, grinding them as he tried to push the bad thoughts from clouding his brain. It proved a difficult task as his head began to spin from the feel of her fragile body trembling against his. She was nervous and afraid of his reaction. He could sense it as he heard her heart beating like a hummingbird's, her chest rising and falling with each hard breath she took.

Bonnie's pouty lips opened, forming a small 'o' as her hands fisted, gathering up the thin cotton of his shirt. It was time for Damon to make a choice again, and Bonnie wasn't oblivious to that notion as her eyes began to plead with his. The pull was so strong, the strongest it had been, and, for the first time, Damon wasn't confident he could push her away again.

Bonnie shook her head, unknowingly, as their agonized eyes battled one another's. Damon closed his eyes and let his head fall back into the pillows, his head raging a war with his heart. He was trying so hard to hang onto that little piece of himself that still held clarity, that part of him that was wise and rebellious, that small voice that always lead him in the direction he wanted to go.

Bonnie took Damon's pause in action to set her own in place. Pulling herself forward, she slowly leaned down to Damon's lips. He seemed completely oblivious, lost in his own mind.

Love overriding any nervousness she felt, Bonnie was bold as she pressed her lips gently to his.

It was a shock to Damon's senses, ripping him from his thoughts and snapping him back to reality in an instant. Automatically, Damon whipped his head to his left, breaking their chaste kiss. He grunted, sounding more like someone had just jabbed him with a knife rather than kissed him so sweetly. He pressed his lips together in a hard line, shoving the desire that flooded him away. No matter how hard he tried, it was impossible to get it all to leave his system. He was forever poisoned by the taste of her lips, and there was absolutely nothing that could erase that taste from his memory.

Small, muffled cries beat hard against his eardrums. Damon shot his gaze back to Bonnie. Her hands were over her face as she sobbed softly, now sitting up in his lap with her legs hanging over the couch's edge. Pulling himself up from his lying position, Damon wrapped his arms around the upset little girl, trying his best to comfort her without getting too close.

For the first time, Bonnie jerked away from him. The amount of pain that rippled down the center of Damon's chest was immeasurable.

"I wish this bond would go away! I don't want it anymore, Damon! It hurts too much! It only gets worse when you push me away and I can't...I can't take it!"

Damon tried pulling her into his embrace once more, but Bonnie shoved his hands away and stood up.

She briskly paced back and forth in front of her make-shift bed on the couch, running her hands through her tangled mess of hair, tugging at the roots of it. She sobbed harder and clawed at her chest, suddenly falling to the floor as she cried out in pain. Damon rushed over to her, dropping to his knees at her side. He had never seen her face contorted in such agony. Tears poured down her flushed cheeks; her eyes squeezed so tightly shut Damon could barely make out her lashes. The skin of her chest was going red where she scratched and dug into it, trying to douse the ache tormenting her.

Damon didn't know what to do! He looked on helplessly, debating whether to take her in his arms or leave her alone. He wasn't sure if touching her would make the bond worse or not. Would leaving her like this do any better, though? All he knew for certain was that he didn't want to cause her anymore pain.

She screamed, loud and shrill, forcing Damon into his final decision.

**Cliff hanger, I know. But it's only a small one and I promise to update again soon! Thanks for reading!**


	5. Part 5

**There's only one part left after this! This part is a little shorter than the rest, though. Regardless...I hope you guys enjoy reading! Thanks in advance for any reviews!**

Hastily, Damon scooped her up into his strong arms and returned her to his lap. Wrapping his arms around her tense form, he forced her back into his chest and held her there in an iron lock. Letting out a few more cries that sent cracks straight to Damon's heart, Bonnie began to relax as her pain subsided. She hiccupped a few times, her breaths calming as she let her head fall back onto his shoulder. Damon let out the breath he was holding, relieved as he braided his fingers with hers.

Bonnie sniffed, silent tears falling from her swollen eyes. The ache was almost gone, but she could still feel remnants of it deep down in her heart.

A single tear slipped from Damon's stressed eyes as he held her snuggly to his chest, resting his cheek against the top of her head.

"I never wanted this for you." Damon whispered to her, another tear rolling down his cheek and falling into her strawberry curls.

He heard the rushed footsteps stomping across the floorboards from all directions until they each ended up at the living room. No doubt, they had heard Bonnie's outburst. The lights flicked on and Bonnie winced as her eyes tried to adjust to the brightness. Meredith, Stefan, and Elena all stood in their pajamas looking frazzled as they walked over to Damon sitting in the floor with Bonnie in his lap.

"What happened? Is Bonnie alright?!" Elena questioned in a demanding tone.

Stefan was the first of the trio to notice the trails of wetness staining both Bonnie's _and_ Damon's face.

"I'm okay." Bonnie answered, her small voice raspy from crying.

Damon rolled his eyes at their unconvinced faces, "It was just a pain episode. Nothing serious."

"Pain? What did you do to cause her that much pain?!" Meredith asked, becoming furious.

"I knew we should have stayed, tonight!" Elena chimed in.

"None of you needed to stay, nor do you now! Bonnie's fine! It was between _me_ and _her_...none of you need to get in the middle of it!" Damon shouted harshly, already irritated with their intrusive behavior.

"We do if it involves Bonnie's well being!" Meredith argued.

"There's nothing wrong with my health!" Bonnie exclaimed.

"Why are you all so concerned with her health all the sudden, anyhow? You told us you couldn't find anything about the bonds that you didn't already know...right Stefan?" Damon questioned, his eyes narrowed warily at his younger brother.

Stefan nodded.

"Right" he lied convincingly.

Elena and Meredith shared a guilty glance and the air tensed between the group. Before things got too suspicious, Stefan spoke up.

"Alright! Well, Bonnie's fine so let's all just go back to sleep."

Stefan headed back upstairs to his and Elena's room, while she and Meredith hesitantly followed behind, nervous about leaving their friend with Damon.

They were alone again and Damon turned back to the red-head still in his lap. He could tasted her heavy breaths coating his tongue as their parted lips lingered only centimeters apart. Damon reached up and ran his thumb over her bottom lip.

"I'm sorry I keep hurting you." he whispered.

Bonnie only nodded to him, a sad smile gracing her lips as she silently forgave him.

Placing a quick kiss to her head, Damon slipped out from under her and was fluffing his pillows within the same second. Bonnie hadn't even realized he had moved until she saw him standing next to the couch. She huffed as he laid down and pulled the thin cotton blanket over his body, letting his eyes slip closed, ready for sleep.

Bonnie sat on her couch, her arms crossed lightly over her chest as she stared at his silhouette, "Can I at least..." she gulped, "sleep...with you?"

Damon popped one eye open, squinting at her with a suspicious gaze.

"No kissing of _any_ kind!" he ruled, pointing a stern finger at her.

"I swear!" Bonnie pleaded, clasping her hands together in front of her.

Damon huffed, "If you're going to sleep with me...we might as well be comfortable."

With that, Damon flew from the couch, scooped a giddy Bonnie up, and sped up the stairs to his spacious room with the beyond comfortable bed. Gently, he set Bonnie down in the middle and fixed the bed for them. Once he was settled contently under the silk sheets, he invited Bonnie to slide in next to him as he held the covers up for her. Excitedly, Bonnie crawled up to Damon's side and slid underneath. As if on instinct, he wrapped an arm around her as she cuddled into him. It was the most comfortable and serene either of them had felt in the past couple days.

The sun rose the next morning and Bonnie stirred until she awoke a few minutes later. She smiled as she lifted her eyelids to see Damon's angelic face still sound asleep. She was lying with her head on his chest; she could feel his arm slung around her waist. Reaching up, she slowly ran the pads of her fingers along his jaw, his stubble catching on the miniscule lines of her finger prints. Damon leaned into her touch and then slowly flutter his eye lids open, revealing two alluring, dark orbs.

Instead of being mad like she had expected, a small smile played at his lips as he studied her face. His left hand lifted to wrap one of her red ringlets around his finger.

"Your hair's a mess!" he chuckled, his eyes glimmering with something Bonnie had never seen before.

She blushed, quickly raking her right hand through her hair in an attempt to tame her wild curls. Damon caught her arm, stopping her from fixing her strawberry strands.

"You look beautiful." he confessed, easing her humility.

Bonnie smiled, touched by his simple words.

Damon's gaze left hers to look at something he was doing. Following his line of sight, she noticed he was playing with her fingers where they rested on his chest. Bonnie had never felt so happy, so loved. It all bubbled up inside her, threatening to burst any second. Finally, there was no way to control it anymore. With a quick prayer that Damon would forgive her..._again_, Bonnie leaned forward and claimed his full lips with her own for the second time in a twenty-four hour period.

Damon froze, a sudden feeling of completion washing over him. He was too late to push her away. She had caught him off guard and he hadn't been fast enough. Now she had every part of him swimming with desire for her. There was no way for him to escape; his small voice of reasoning was drowning in the flood. His head went dizzy, his heart pounded with hunger, and his body was desperate with a want for her that he had been so cautious to keep locked away.

Damon tangled his fingers in her hair and pressed his lips harder against hers, letting her feel just how much he really needed her. Taking complete control, he broke their first kiss and went right into another, sucking her bottom lip into his mouth gently.

Bonnie reached up to rake her fingers through his soft, raven locks when a hand latched around her wrist and yanked her backwards. Her desperate lips ripped from Damon's as she was dragged forcefully away from him until she was lying on the opposite side of his bed. She reached for him with her free hand, a small cry escaping her.

Damon's eyes shot open, red and fuming as he saw a blonde head tearing his little bird from his embrace.

"What do you think you're doing?! Sleeping with Bonnie, kissing her...you're leading her on, Damon! How dare y-"

Damon was out of bed and pinning Elena against the wall in a flash, his hand in a tight grip around her throat. Elena automatically groped at his hand, trying to loosen it. Her blue eyes glistened with shock and frightened tears. Damon loved her! He would never dream of hurting her! But here he was, strangling her, growling at her, the features of the monster inside coating his face.

"How dare _I?!_ Don't you _ever_ take Bonnie away from me again!" his fingers dug into her throat, and Elena was positive bruises would be left over.

"If you even _try_, I swear to you...I will rip. your. throat. out." Damon threatened in the darkest voice she had ever heard from him.

Elena gasped for air, clawing at Damon's arm as her face went red with lack of oxygen.

Bonnie looked on, horrified, as Damon choked her best friend.

"Damon!" she called, running over to him, "Let go!"

She grabbed onto his arm, trying her hardest to pry it loose, "You're hurting Elena! You're gonna kill her! STOP!"

Damon snapped from his furious frame of mind, his face returning to normal. He looked down to his hand around Elena's throat and released it, his black orbs wide and horrified as he stepped away from her. Elena inhaled a deep gulp of air, her lungs relaxing as they filled with oxygen. Bonnie stepped back slowly, giving Elena some room to breathe as she coughed, trying to regain her breath.

Damon looked down at his hands as if they were bloodied with the act of murder; guilt and shame consumed him. What had he just done?! He could've killed her! All because of the bond!

Rage boiled beneath his skin once more. _The bond._

He turned to a frazzled Bonnie, his eyes burning with anger.

"This is all your fault! If you hadn't come to me that night this ridiculous bond would've never happened! Why can't you just stay away?! Why can't you just leave me _alone?!"_

Bonnie was backed up into the wall, a terribly irate Damon stalking towards her predatorily.

"D-Damon...I'm s-"

"You're sorry. Sorry doesn't cut it anymore! _You_ came to me when you shouldn't have! _You_ started the bond! _You_ almost made me _kill_ Elena!"

Damon let out a long breath, calming himself just enough to make his voice clear.

"_You_ are the reason my life is miserable." he finished, his tone low and menacing.

"No longer. This bond will break one way or another!" he announced just before flying out of his bedroom window in crow form.

Bonnie sank down to the cold floor, tears rushing down her face in a constant stream. Her hand was over her heart; she never thought she would feel it tear in two. Then the ache started, and in seconds it was radiating to every part of her body as Damon went further and further away. She screamed, curling into the fetal position as she fell onto her side. The pain was so strong she was sure her heart would burst any moment, and it was only getting worse. She cried out, spots appearing before her eyes.

All at once, she saw Elena and Meredith hanging over her. She barely heard her blonde friend yell something to Stefan over the loud shrill sounds emitting from her mouth. Bonnie couldn't feel her heart beating; she couldn't tell if she was breathing; all she felt was the excruciating ache beating every inch of her to death. And then she couldn't feel anything, her whole body going numb. The spots widened in her vision until all she saw was blackness. The last she heard was her name being called by two people she loved, and then she was floating in unconsciousness.

The pain was so bad, Damon crash landed in the middle of the sparse, brightly lit forest he was flying over. As soon as he hit the ground, he transformed back into his human body and yelled in pain. Clutching at his chest, he rolled from side to side, grinding his teeth together as he tried to bear the pain. He knew it would hurt when he left her, but he hadn't prepared for the intense pain jolting through every limb of his body. He had hoped the bond would somehow break if he got too far away. It was torture, instead. He felt like every part of him, inside and out, was being beat with a baseball bat. The worst of the blows went straight to his heart, where it also felt like knives were slicing the organ to shreds.

Stefan slowly walked up and leaned against a tree trunk. His arms crossed over his chest as he watched his brother rolling around in agony, a pleased smile on his straight lips.

Damon caught sight of him, and rolled to his knees, digging his right hand into the skin and bone covering his heart.

"Screw you, Stefan!" he spat, barely able to speak from the pain bashing into him on a constant loop.

Stefan's small smile widened, "Well, well...let's review, shall we?"

"You bonded to Bonnie just as she did to you, then you _lied_ to everyone about it, you made me do pointless research for _hours_, _and_ made us all think that Bonnie had a partial bond, which proceeded to make Elena, Meredith, and myself worry that she might _die_ from that partial bond that was never _partial_ to begin with."

"What?!" Damon exclaimed, between grunts.

"Oh, did I forget to mention that part? I'm sorry. How could I _keep such vital information from you?!"_ Stefan's tone turning from teasing to scornful.

"On top of it all...you've made Bonnie suffer for the past three days!" Stefan yelled.

"Like I haven't been suffering along with her!" Damon growled.

Stefan returned to his pleased expression, "That is the _only_ positive thing about this! Hence, the smile!" he said, pointing to his upturned lips.

Stefan grinned wider as a thought struck him, "And that bond not only causes pain from separation...it caused you to become intolerant to anyone's blood but hers."

Damon groaned and glared up at Stefan, beginning to perspire from the cruel ache ripping a hole through his chest. Stefan caught on to his brother's knowing eyes and his eyebrows rose in astonishment.

"But you already knew that. Because you drank Bonnie's blood last night, didn't you?!" Stefan accused, his green eyes narrowing quizzically.

Damon let out a particularly unpleasant groan just as Stefan began clapping his hands, ridiculing him.

"Impressive, brother! You managed to fool us all. Now..." Stefan let his hands fall back to his sides and stomped over to his tormented brother with ruthless eyes, "get your ass back to the boarding house before I show you pain worse than the bond ever could."

Stefan grabbed him by the back of his t-shirt and yanked him to his feet.

"Please...anything you could possibly do would be merciful right now. I would rather take twenty stakes!" he stated between clenched teeth and hard breaths.

"The thought crossed my mind." Stefan growled, pushing his brother along in front of him as they walked back towards the boarding house.


	6. Part 6

**Ok...here's the last part of this little story!**

Elena and Meredith sat by Bonnie's side as she laid unconscious in her queen size bed. They checked her pulse and her breathing every two minutes, so afraid they might lose her.

Much to her friends' surprise, Bonnie coughed and fluttered her eyelids open. Instantly after her brown orbs re-adjusted to the light, they crumpled at the sides as she scrunched her face up in discomfort. The throbbing ache still held strong. But then it was diminishing, the pain withdrawing until it centered at her heart.

"Bonnie! Are you ok?" Elena asked as Meredith dabbed at her face with a damp towel from the opposite side of the bed.

"Did..." she swallowed, trying to erase the thickness from her voice, "Did I pass out?"

Elena nodded, her lapis eyes worried, "Are you still hurting?"

Bonnie glanced down to Elena's neck where purplish-red marks painted the left and right side of her throat. Internally, she winced at the horrid memory of Damon choking her blonde best friend.

"Just at my chest. It feels like it's fading, though." she answered upon collecting her thoughts.

"Stefan must've gotten Damon, then." Meredith stated.

Elena nodded to her. Both their gazes snapped down to their red-headed friend as they heard a small whimper sound from her. Bonnie was crying again, her wet eyes squeezed shut.

Meredith touched her arm, trying to sooth her, "Is it the pain?"

Bonnie shook her head, biting down hard on her red lower lip, "He hates me. Damon hates me! He's never going to forgive me!"

Elena stroked Bonnie's frizzy red curls, "That's not true, Bonnie."

"Yes it is! It's because of my bond to him that he almost killed you! He'll never forgive me for that! He loves you too much!" she cried, completely oblivious to what she had just uncovered.

Meredith was the first to catch on, Elena too busy feeling sorry for the devastated young girl.

"Wait...I thought Damon wasn't bonded..." Meredith began softly, her expression perplexed.

"He's not." Elena responded easily.

"Then why would Bonnie's bond to him have affected his reaction to you?"

Elena caught up to her friend's suspicion and turned to Bonnie. The three shared a look, each pair of eyes holding the same conclusive thoughts.

The front door swung opened downstairs, two heavy pairs of footsteps rushing in. Bonnie's stunned expression turned angry as she flung herself out of bed and marched out of her room, ready to confront Damon.

As soon as she entered the hallway, Damon was there. He stopped as he saw her stomping towards him, hurt and fury contorting her beautiful face. She halted only inches from him, raised her right hand, and swung it, slapping him hard across the face.

Damon's head whipped to the side, too weak to deflect the blow. He covered his cheek with his hand, rubbing at the stinging red mark his little bird had inflicted.

"You jerk! How could you?!" she shouted, hot tears brimming her eyes.

"You made me feel bad for you! You made me think it was just me! All this time...you felt the same!"

She raised her small fists and pounded on his chest as she yelled at him, "You're the meanest, cruelest, most selfish person in the entire world!"

Damon took her repeated hits, figuring he deserved them. It wasn't like the beating was actually hurting him anyhow. He barely budged as she punched and slapped away, only succeeding in tiring herself out. What he _wouldn't_ stand for was being called selfish! Damon grabbed her wrists, forcing her to stop and look up at him.

Plump, angry tear drops rolled down her cheeks as she glared up at him. No matter how upset, how angry, how drained she was...that tiny glimmer of love in her eyes wouldn't diminish. Even as he looked down at her now, Damon could still see it shining away in the depths of her chocolate irises.

"Selfish?! I may be the worst person on the planet but I am _not_ selfish, Bonnie McCullough!"

Bonnie opened her mouth, ready to defend her use of the word with examples, but Damon was speaking again.

"Everything I've done the past few days was for _you!_ I kept myself away, hoping the bond would disappear somehow, because you deserve to be stuck with someone a hell of a lot better than me!"

Bonnie shook her head, trying not to let his words get to her, not wanting to believe him. She knew the real reason. The reason he wouldn't say directly to her face because he didn't have the guts. This was just another clever lie; a way to cover his own actions with honorable justifications.

"The truth is...I don't deserve you, Bonnie. I liked to think that maybe I could've been good for you sometimes...but look at me! Look at the situation we're in now! It's because I _lied_ to everyone! I could've saved you a ton of pain by just being honest, but instead I chose wrong and look how we ended up! I only complicate things wherever I go and leave people miserable. I've dug myself into a hole so deep that I can barely see the light anymore, and I _won't_ drag you down with me! You, Elena, even _Stefan_ are the only good things I have! I won't let you be ruined because of me!" Damon confessed, his eyes stern, his mind made up.

Bonnie had never seen such honesty in his eyes; she knew every word had been true. Childishly, she stuck her hands to her hips.

"Well it's too bad because I'm stuck with you now and that's that! And don't try and tell me you don't love me because I know how bonds work!" she stomped her foot, her arms stiff at her sides as she balled her hands up in fists, "You love me just as much as I love you! End of discussion! So you either learn to deal with me at your side or continue to torture us both! What's it going to be?"

Damon narrowed his eyes at her, astonished by her demanding tone, "Don't you give me ultimatums! I'll decide what I want to do from here and _you're_ going to go along with it!"

"Why are you so stubborn?!" Bonnie yelled, her face inches from his.

"Because I love you and I want what's best for you!" Damon snapped, only realizing what he had said when he saw Bonnie's eyes go wide in shock.

Meredith, Elena, and Stefan all shared looks of awkwardness and took the opportunity to quietly excuse themselves from the hallway. Bonnie and Damon hadn't noticed them there for a while, anyhow.

"Then be with me!" Bonnie begged, looking deep into his eyes, "You _are_ what's best for me." she whispered.

Damon's gaze fell to her lips; the pull was the strongest it had ever been as that all too familiar ache urged them closer together. He knew his decision now would either make or break them completely.

Grabbing the back of her neck with his right hand, Damon pulled her into him and smashed his lips to hers in a searing kiss. Bonnie complied easily, as he knew she would, and shot up on her tip toes to wrap her arms around his neck. Within seconds, Damon hoisted her up, holding one arm under her bottom as the other tangled in the back of her hair. Their lips never disconnected for more than a second as they kissed hungrily. For once, their hearts throbbed with pleasure instead of anguish.

"I'm sorry for what I said to you earlier!" Damon breathed hastily between kisses.

"It's ok." Bonnie responded quickly, too greedy for his mouth to care about anything else. All had been forgiven when those three special words had rolled off his tongue.

In a whoosh, Damon burst into Bonnie's room, kicked the door shut, and pinned his girl between himself and her mattress. His mouth dethatched from hers, planting hot, wet kisses down the side of her neck. Bonnie moaned softly, raking her fingers through his hair.

"I love you." she told him as he sucked affectionately on the skin underneath her jaw, sending jolts of white hot fire through her veins.

She waited for him to repeat the declaration of love, but he only continued to pepper her throat with sinful kisses.

"Damon!" she whined, trying her best not to let it turn into a moan.

He chuckled and brought his lips to her ear, "You know I love you more than anything."

Bonnie smiled a bright happy smile, then bit down hard on her lower lip as Damon sucked her earlobe into his mouth, teasing it with his tongue. She giggled, and Damon couldn't love the sound more. He smiled, pressing a hard kiss to her cheek.

Grabbing his face and bringing it back to hers, Bonnie crushed her lips to his once more. Damon quickly took control and reached up to guide her jaw open. As soon as her lips parted, he slipped his tongue in, rolling it against hers. Bonnie's breath caught in her throat as her eyes slipped back in her head, any coherent thoughts leftover vanishing into a fog that made her dizzy with desire.

Damon let his body press into hers, keeping his weight from crushing her by his forearms on either side of her head. He kept the kiss slow and seductive, leaving her breathless with each lap of his tongue against hers. Torturing her further, Damon slid a hand down her side until he found her knee. Wrapping his fingers underneath it, he hitched her right leg over his hip. Bonnie caught on to what he wanted and quickly wrapped her left leg around his hip as well. His pelvis sunk deeper into hers and he smirked into their lip-lock.

Damon's hand trailed back up her side, letting his finger tips ghost over her burning skin as he did so. Stopping at her face, he cupped the side of it, running his thumb over her cheek bone.

Neither of them could get enough as they kissed wildly over and over, clutching to one another as if their lives depended on it. Bonnie kept up with his kisses easily. Letting her hands drop from his face, she slipped them between their bodies while she had him lost in her...distracted. Sneakily, she snaked her hands underneath the hem of his shirt before he could stop her. Damon jerked at the new contact, not expecting it. He stopped kissing her for a moment to look into her eyes. She kept her gaze confident and locked with his as she continued to trailed her hands up the toned abs shaping his stomach.

In a rush, Damon suddenly lifted himself from her just enough to pull his shirt off and throw it to the floor. He was pressed against her again before Bonnie had been able to memorize every hard plane of his torso. She took no time in returning her hands to his abs, feeling every muscle that bulged as her fingers ran slowly up to his broad chest. Damon moaned appreciatively as her hands roamed his body and proceeded to press his swollen lips back to hers.

Keeping himself propped up by his left arm, Damon trailed his right hand down Bonnie's side, feeling her slight curves as he went. Upon reaching the hem of the nightgown she still wore from last night, his curious hand found its way underneath, sliding up the back of her thigh. Running over the panties that partially covered her hip, he wrapped his fingers around the bare skin left just above the tiny undergarments, feeling the hip bone that protruded beneath her flesh. His thumb dug into the dip on the inside of her pelvis, rubbing circles into the bare skin of her abdomen. Bonnie moaned into his mouth as she tightened her legs around his waist, wanting him as close as possible.

Damon turned their kisses slow, letting her feel just how much he cared for her, and Bonnie was overwhelmed with the passion he exerted. Making a quick swipe over her flat stomach, Damon pulled his wandering hand from underneath her nightgown and rested it at its previous place by her head. He let the entirety of his body sink into hers once more as he kissed her lovingly. Bonnie's hands came to cup either side of his gorgeous face, caressing it as their long kiss broke and their lips lingered.

"Does this mean I'm your girlfriend now?" Bonnie asked softly, still breathing hard from their heavy kisses.

A wide smile formed on Damon's lips as he examined the flushed face of his little redbird.

He snickered, "No..."

Before the frown could settle on the disappointed red-head's lips, he continued.

"You're my redbird. You're my lover...my soul mate...my _everything."_ he breathed, his voice going lower, huskier, as he went, making Bonnie dizzy with excitement.

"I like that better!" Bonnie replied, her voice leaving her as Damon nuzzled his nose against hers.

"Mhmm" he hummed.

"But if anyone asks...you're my boyfriend." Bonnie concluded.

Damon laughed, an amused smirk playing at his lips, "If any _guys_ ask you...tell them your _boyfriend_ will kick their ass."

Bonnie giggled and playfully slapped his shoulder, "Damon!"

Damon's amusement vanished, "I'm serious! If I catch a guy even _thinking_ about you the wrong way..."

Bonnie placed a gentle hand to the side of his face, bringing his attention back to her.

"I'm yours." she reminded him, nothing but love in her eyes.

"Always." Damon whispered.

Bonnie only had time to nod before he had captured her lips in another passionate kiss. She couldn't help but smile into it. This was the start of a new chapter in her life, an exciting chapter that would undoubtedly be the most wonderful! She had the unattainable, Damon Salvatore as her boyfriend...the love of her life, her soul mate, and there wasn't a _thing_ anyone could do to separate them. Right then, she had made up her mind. Despite everything...vampiric bonds were the _best!_

**I hoped you guys loved it and were satisfied with the ending! Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed! All the positivity I've received from you guys has been amazing, not just on this story but on any story I've written. I can't thank you all enough! Anywho...hope to have another story of some length up in the near future. Haha! Just don't count on every story I write being this long from now on. Lol! I stick to one or two shots, this one just happened to be an exception. Haha! Regardless, thanks again and see you soon!**


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